News
Third International Opera and Ballet Festival ‘Tashkent Spring’
May 14, 2013
On May 16-27, 2013, Tashkent’s Turkiston Palace will be hosting the Third International Opera and Ballet Festival ‘Toshkent bahori’ (Tashkent spring). The agenda offers stagings of operas by ingenious composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Pietro Mascagni, and will include auditions for Сompetizione dell’Opera, an international opera competition.
Hadassah University Hospital doctors to visit Tashkent
May 13, 2013
A group of Israeli doctors from Hadassah University Hospital and heads of iMER (international office of Hadassah) will visit Tashkent on May 17-18. The Israeli specialists will participate in seminars with Uzbek colleagues, teach workshops for specialists, provide consultations to patients and visit various Uzbek medical institutions. Moreover, the NBCAU will sign a memorandum of cooperation with iMER.
Floral design workshop in Samarkand demonstrates flower power
May 12, 2013
Famous award-winning floral designers Annette von Einem of Denmark and Sergey Karpunin of Russia taught floral arranging techniques and design skills at a workshop held on May 7-12 in Samarkand. The workshop culminated in a stunning art show, with models clad in national outfits flaunting floral creations and wearing floral accessories created during the workshop, the first of its kind in Central Asia.
Asrlar Sadosi Festival 2013 in figures
May 7, 2013
The curtain has fallen on this year’s Asrlar Sadosi (Echo of Centuries) Festival of Traditional Culture, held on May 4-5 in the Sarmishsai Gorge (Navoi Region), which has included a broad array of events putting the spotlight on Uzbekistan’s cultural and historical legacy while drawing a decent amount of international attention. It therefore makes sense to highlight figures that reflect the festival’s scope.
Asrlar Sadosi gala concert: electrifying mix of tradition and modernity
May 5, 2013
The gala concert, in which the Asrlar Sadosi (Echo of Centuries) Festival culminated, delivered an electrifying mix of tradition and modernity, with both modern hits and folk music pieces. This year’s gala night welcomed performers from Turkey and China, pointing to the festival’s international format. Gulnara Karimova, the mind behind the project, presented awards to the winners of the festival.
Works by contemporary Uzbek painters go up for auction at Asrlar Sadosi
May 5, 2013
A series of oil-on-canvas paintings went under the hammer at an auction held as part of the Echo of Centuries Festival of Traditional Culture in the Sarmishsai Gorge. Organized by Uzbekistan’s MEROS Association of Antiques in partnership with UK-based Christie’s, the auction shone the spotlight on modern trends in painting in Uzbekistan while helping raise international awareness of talented Uzbek artists.
National Cuisine Festival: pilaf, kebab, sumalak and other culinary delights
May 5, 2013
Mouth-watering aromas wafted through the air in the Sarmishsai Gorge on May 5 as sixteen chefs from all parts of Uzbekistan busied themselves demonstrating their culinary skills and came up with yummy masterpieces that were described as ‘delectable’, ‘divine’, ‘piquant’ and ‘out of this world’… But whose cooking expertise won the highest rating at the juried food sampling event, the National Cuisine Festival?
Ram fighting at Asrlar Sadosi
May 5, 2013
On May 5, dozens of “athletes” sporting horns demonstrated one of the oldest and rarest spectator sports, ram-fighting, which has been part of the Echo of Centuries Festival since its first edition along with cockfighting. The exciting horn-to-horn battles between the area’s most furious rams drew huge crowds of people both local and international, which testifies to the popularity of this ancient sport.
Turkish pop star Mustafa Sandal rocks benefit concert in Tashkent
May 4, 2013
Turkish pop singer Mustafa Sandal rocked the stage at the May 4 concert for the benefit of breast cancer sufferers in Uzbekistan. His appearance on the stage at Turkiston Palace followed performances by a Chinese folk music group, Italian singer Massimo Golfano and Turkish singers Mustafa Bozkurt and Ahmed Koc, with Alexander Ristich of Lions Club Austria, presenting a check for €4,505 to NBCAU.
Echo of Centuries Festival presents Bibi Orifa Mausoleum following complete facelift
May 4, 2013
This year’s Echo of Centuries Festival took on an ‘architectural’ dimension as hundreds of festival attendees flocked to the unveiling of Bibi Orifa Mausoleum (in Bukhara Region) which has been given a full facelift by Mehr Nuri Foundation. The opening was followed by a presentation by Gulnara Karimova, the chairwoman of the Foundation, of scholarships to a group of students from Uzbek madrasas.
Unique handmadery sells like hotcakes at Applied Art Fair
May 4, 2013
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Echo of Centuries Festival, there’s a wealth of unique handmade items offered by around 80 craftsmen and women at an Applied Art Fair, where trade is in full swing. The Applied Art Fair is there to make sure that festival attendees with a passion for all things traditional get a taste of Uzbek craftsmanship and take home special souvenirs and a piece of Uzbek culture.
Gamecocks show amazing combat prowess at Asrlar Sadosi
May 4, 2013
Cockfighting is believed to be one of the oldest spectator sports that remains relevant to this day. And this sport has been part of the Asrlar Sadosi Festival since it was first held. Cockfighting is popular and spectacular, and is enjoyed by both local residents and many tourists. This year’s combatants are beautiful and specially selected breeds of gamecocks that brought together a multitude of onlookers.
Kurash national wrestling: display of amazing strength and skill
May 4, 2013
On May 4, the first day of the Echo of Centuries Festival, the guests had the opportunity to attend tournaments of kurash, a type of wrestling central to Uzbek tradition. The tournaments featured a number of Uzbek kurash wrestlers who have previously won prizes at international competitions. Among the contestants was the oldest Uzbek kurash fighter, who has participated in Asian Olympic Games several times.
Asrlar Sadosi Festival set to make yet another splash
May 4, 2013
Asrlar Sadosi (The Echo of Centuries) Festival of Traditional Culture, a collaborative effort between Fund Forum and the UNESCO Tashkent Office, is set to make yet another splash... this time in the Sarmishsai Gorge, a treasure trove of ancient petroglyphs and other landmarks. Like its previous editions, the two-day festival comes with a dizzying variety of events that will mirror Uzbekistan’s cultural and historical legacy.
Asrlar Sadosi Festival 2013 Agenda
April 24, 2013
This year Asrlar Sadosi (The Echo of Century) Festival of Traditional Culture has a strong scientific focus. Tashkent will host a roundtable on the role of culture in sustainable development, followed by a conference on architectural epigraphy and a book presentation in Bukhara. The folk part of the Festival will take place in the Sarmishsai Gorge (Navoi Region) and will include an applied art fair, traditional games, music and dance performances by folk groups representing various Uzbek regions, a National Cuisine Festival and an aroma-filled National Cuisine Festival. The fest will culminate in a gala concert, with international visitors in attendance.
Media highlights
Die Ober ÖsterreicherIN magazine (Austria)
The Sunday Indian
Die SteirerIN, Die Ober ÖsterreicherIN magazines (Austria)
Quotidiano Arte (Italy)
www.newsblaze.com (USA)
www.diariodesevilla.es (Spain)
Travel Agent magazine (USA)
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